If you’re a subscriber to Xbox Game Pass, you’ve probably noticed that it has slowly accumulated a really incredible catalog of games. You can play new Call of Duty games when they release, Halo titles, and there are even some of the most prominent sports series available, too. Fallout 4, Hi-Fi Rush, Firewatch, Forza Horizon 5, Resident Evil 2, Diablo IV, and Minecraft are just a small fraction of what is available. Soon, though, one of the most anticipated games in the last decade or more will join Xbox Game Pass, and it could represent the service’s biggest addition of 2025.
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Hollow Knight: Silksong is Releasing on Xbox Game Pass
Few games have ever amassed as intense anticipation as Hollow Knight: Silksong. It helps that it’s a follow-up to one of the best and most beloved indie games of all time, but its weird, long-winded journey from idea to announcement to actual game has only served to increase that anticipation. For six years, Hollow Knight: Silksong hopefuls waited with bated breath and endured pretty much complete radio silence until Team Cherry said that Silksong would be coming on September 4. On that same day, it will land on Game Pass, marking another in a long line of prominent games to get on the service (the Ultimate tier) immediately.
Why is such an anticipated game going on Game Pass immediately? Won’t this undercut its potential sales? That is true, but this deal was agreed to years ago. Before Silksong was even close to ready for launch, Team Cherry agreed with Microsoft to put the game on the platform on day one. This will prevent them from getting as much from sales, but it naturally came with a hefty check from Microsoft to get the game. So many people already have Game Pass. They will continue paying for it for Silksong, but others may subscribe just to play it.
And for anyone who did miss out on the first game and is wondering what all the hype is about, Game Pass has good news for you, too. Hollow Knight is and has been on Game Pass for a little while now, so for a month’s subscription to the Ultimate tier ($19.99), you can get access to both games (and a whole lot more). It is the best and cheapest way to experience these two games in the coming weeks.
Even though Microsoft and Team Cherry had an agreement, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Xbox Game Pass gets such a good, high-profile game. This is not a new phenomenon, nor is it surprising that it’s going to Game Pass on launch. Microsoft’s strategy has been to obtain these big games and have them available immediately. It’s what’s driving the subscriber growth and making it a profitable part of the company for once.
Xbox Game Pass Has Had a Great Year With Major Games
Hollow Knight Silksong is only the latest game of its caliber and anticipation to land on Game Pass right away. It’s not the first, nor will it be the last, even in 2025. The year has been fantastic for top video games and Game Pass, with Silksong being maybe the most hyped but far from the only popular game that’s dropped on the service.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 dropped on Game Pass, too, and it’s probably the frontrunner for Game of the Year right now. That means it’s arguably the best game of 2025, and it was available on launch day for a low subscription cost.
Several other examples prove how dominant Game Pass has become: Doom: The Dark Ages, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Atomfall, The Alters, Rematch, South of Midnight, and Mafia: The Old Country is not just a list of the biggest games this year, though it might seem like it. Those are all on Game Pass.
More are set to join, too. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is going to follow in Black Ops 6′s footsteps and be available as soon as it launches. Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2 are both going on Game Pass when they are released. Other 2025 games without firm release dates are also expected to be on the service: PowerWash Simulator 2, Subnautica 2, Routine, Witchbrook, and Dead Static Drive.
It doesn’t end there. 2025 has been a huge year for Game Pass, but 2026 will be, too. Fable and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy are both confirmed. Whenever there’s a new Halo game and a new Forza, those will also be on the service. It has quickly become the absolute go-to for accessible, affordable gaming.
What do you think? Are you going to check out Game Pass when Hollow Knight Silksong drops? Let us know down below!
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